Jenna Kaës (FR, 1987)
Residency period: September-October 2025
During this one-month residency at La Becque, I was able to initiate three projects for an upcoming exhibition at mudac in Lausanne (scheduled for November 2026), dedicated to the theme of magic.
An immersion into the world of cattle bells (sonnailles) was made possible through a meeting with Olivier Grandjean, founder of the Maison de la Cloche et de la Mémoire Populaire in Juriens. From this exchange emerged a sound piece, referencing the Davenport brothers’ “spirit cabinets,” where sound acts as a vehicle for apparition and disturbance.
A second project was built around a deliberately simple device allowing for the emanation of ectoplasms. Set into motion without visible intervention, these forms give space to the action of the invisible and to the ambiguity of the phenomenon.
Finally, an unexpected production took shape: the creation of ceramic and fabric doll-like figures. These gradually form a series of dioramas that stage the history of mediumship. Between re-enactment, fiction, and memory, these emblematic episodes become suspended scenes—somewhere between belief and theatre.
This residency was also marked by an ongoing dialogue with Alexandra Midal, curator of the mudac exhibition. Our regular exchanges, made possible by the long timeframe and the trust it fostered, opened up a rare space for shared reflection. They accompanied the development of the pieces, offering a fertile ground where theoretical research and artistic practice became deeply intertwined. — Jenna Kaës
Invited to La Becque as part of a residency with Plateforme 10, Jenna Kaës is a French product designer based in Paris whose work explores the symbolic and mystical dimensions of objects, particularly those tied to memory. Moving along the boundary between art and religion, she has created stained-glass windows for a church in Normandy and collaborated with a Carmelite monastery in Verdun. She also works with companies dedicated to preserving traditional artisanal skills, an interest she developed during her studies at the Haute école des arts du Rhin in Strasbourg and ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne. Jenna Kaës has also engaged with popular artistic expressions through residencies such as Hors Pistes in Greenland, where she collaborated with Inuit artisans.
Jenna Kaës, La Becque, 2025, photo Aurélien Haslebacher